


A Spider's Web

by beetdavidson



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Ghoul Cannibalism (Tokyo Ghoul), Ghouls, Gore, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Minor Character Death, Multi, Original Character(s), Tokyo Ghoul: re, tokyo ghoul - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:01:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28932930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beetdavidson/pseuds/beetdavidson
Summary: In her early years of life, Shini Takashi endured horror after horror inflicted on her by her parents. Now that they're gone and she's been taken under Hiro's care, she's starting to see the beauty in life. While struggling to accept who she is as a ghoul, she meets various people who'll impact her view forever.
Relationships: Yomo Renji/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	A Spider's Web

**CHAPTER 1: TROUBLED YOUTH.**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tokyo Ghoul or any of the characters from the series, they belong to Sui Ishida, Shonen Jump, etc. I do own Shini Takashi and co. The character Yoko that is mentioned is owned by my friend Nico.

* * *

The sun has yet to rise, but the day has already started for those living under Hiro’s roof. It’s been less than a year since Shini was brought into the apartment, but she quickly got used to the constant flow of ghouls that came in through the door, it reminded her of the house she lived with her mother, yet those who come here don’t want the temporary warmth from a woman’s body. Instead they come for help of any kind, if it be food, protection, or even housing. Hiro’s the first man Shini’s ever met in her life that would help those around him, a rare find in ghouls, especially in the fourth ward. Least to say it’s refreshing. Still in her pajamas, she makes her way to the vanity that Hiro had pulled out of some human’s trash for her, he cleaned it up and made it look nice, the only thing wrong with it being the crack that ran through the middle of it. She didn’t mind it, she found the gesture sweet. Right hand picks up the brush that Hiro had spent weeks looking for, prior to finding this one he had to keep buying her new ones since they kept breaking whenever she ran them through her hair, they weren’t strong enough to constantly brush out hair as thick as her’s. Hiro’s kindness used to put her off in the early days of being here, she wasn’t used to all of it, she never received such treatment from her mother, or even the other men who’d come to visit Kumo, all she’d get from them was those stares that they’d grant her mother, Shini had to learn quick what that look meant. It wasn’t a look she liked.

  
Left hand separates her hair into chunks while her right guides the brush through it, she’s careful not to hurt her head as she gets rid of the knots. Four thin hair bands are pulled from the cup she had full of them on the vanity, two are placed between her lips as the other two go on her right wrist. Quickly she puts the left side of her hair up into a ponytail, then forms one of the space buns she always wore. The two hair bands are taken out of her mouth, and the action is then repeated. She had to learn the hard way that regular hair ties quickly snapped after being wrapped around her hair once, she isn’t going to have Yoko thin her hair out either, it’ll only grow back thicker. Bangs are done carefully, pushed slightly out of her eyes so she could see without issue, and the two strands that sat on the sides of her face were brushed out so they wouldn’t appear messy. Ever since she got to the fourth ward she started taking pride in her appearance. 

  
Clothes were laid out on the bed, they were worn yesterday but still smelled clean. The dark hoodie she had stolen from the boy who liked to sit at the highest point of construction cranes was put on last. She thinks about him for a moment, they had yet to speak, but always made eye contact whenever they saw each other, maybe one day she’d say something to him. Attention is pulled away from her thoughts when she hears a knock on her door, then it’s shoved open, it’s Yoshi peering in. Brows furrow, she hates it when he just opens the door before she says anything, at least Hiro waited until she said come in. Soon she’ll pick up a lock for the door, after all she was the only girl in the house, she deserved her privacy.

  
“What?” She snaps, as she zips up the hoodie. Yoshi frowns, expression changing from a blank stare to an annoyed scowl. “Soji’s here dumbass.” He states before walking away. Soji was an older ghoul, around Hiro’s age who was a Sweeper which is a group of ghouls who tend to the task of cleaning up after fights, or even crime scenes if they have the chance to. They always give the human remains to ghouls who can’t hunt for themselves free of charge. Ever since Hiro explained what they did to her, she wanted to join them, she wanted to repay Hiro’s kindness by supplying her fellow kind with what they needed most. With haste, Shini runs over to her closet, pulling out a black trash bag full of stuffed creatures she likes to call “Beans”. She hand makes them herself, and her bed was full of them, all in various sizes. Soji had seen her with one a couple days ago and called it cute, so she made what she thought were fifty or so of them, all in different shapes, colors, and sizes. Full of excitement, she dashes from her room into the living room where Hiro, Soji, and Yoshi were discussing what was going on in the ward. Soji turns his head to Shini, smiling as he holds up his hands making two peace signs. “Good morning Shi!” The man speaks with glee, there wasn’t a day where Shini saw him upset, he always carried himself with a face full of happiness. Shini wants to live like that too.  
“Uncle Soji! I have something for you!” She heads over to him, sitting on the floor before him and Hiro who sat on the couch. “Remember when you said that the Bean I had was cute? Well I had an idea, I made a bunch of them since you were telling me about how you and Hiro find those kids who don’t have parents nomore cause the Doves, I’d thought it’d be nice if you guys gave them these, so they’re not alone.” She says as she pulls several of them out. There’s a warm look on Hiro’s face as Soji picks up one of the Beans. It’s eyes were two different sized buttons, one red and the other purple, the man smiles as he holds it. “Shi, that’s sweet of you, how long did it take you to make them?’

“Three days.”

“You made all of these in just three days?”

“Yeah! I didn’t really have anything to do, so I made them all, I ran out of supplies though, so I took stuffing out of Yoshi’s bed to finish a couple.”

When he hears that she’s been in his room, Yoshi groans and looks at Hiro, “Can I get a damn lock for my door? It’s literally the only thing I fuckin’ need right now.” He rises from the loveseat that’s positioned from across the couch and heads to his room, slamming the door in irritation. Shini folds her arms and laughs, “He’s only actin’ like that cause Itori rejected him.” Soji snorts as Hiro sighs, “Shini, you gotta stop going in his room when he’s not home, and stealing his stuff has to come to an end.” He leans his body forward and he rests his elbows on his knees, “If you needed something you could’ve just asked me.” Shini doesn’t like asking Hiro for things, she believes he’s already done too much for her and she doesn’t wanna leech off of him. She’s silent as Soji gets up and puts the rest of the Beans back into the bag and closes it. “Hiro, I gotta go help Yotte with some things, and Shi…” He pauses, his hand digging in his pants pocket. He pulls out his wallet and opens it, removing 5,000 yen. “That’s for you.” Soji says as he hands her the money. “Uncle Soji I can’t-”

  
“Ssh, yes you can, I’m paying you for these, and if you make more of them I’m gonna keep paying you. Shi, you’re providing me with service, meaning I have to pay you. If you don’t take it I’m just gonna give it to Hiro so he can get you what you need.” With hesitance, she takes the money from him, it feels weird, but she guesses he’s right. Hiro slightly waves as Soji steps out the door backward, smiling and throwing up a peace sign. He’ll be back later. Hiro rises from the couch, checking his watch, it’s only 6:34 in the morning, but he feels like it’s earlier. The sun has risen and people are starting to get a move on, heading to school, work, or tending to errands. “I think we should leave Yoshi alone for a bit, I have to drop off something at Antieku, you’re coming with me.” He speaks sternly, Shini nods as she rises from the floor. Hiro heads to the door, and Shini follows, grabbing her coat and his as he slips on his shoes. When he’s done, he takes the coat from Shini who’s already ready to go.   
Twenty minutes later the two of them are on the bullet train heading to the twentieth ward. They’re sitting next to each other, neither of them can see who’s across from them, even in the early morning the train was packed. Hiro always made sure Shini was close to him, if she got separated she didn’t know how to get back yet, and he didn’t want her getting hurt. She turns to him and says, “Dad, how much longer till we get there?” Around humans, Shini always called Hiro dad, she started doing it on her own because she thinks people would get the wrong idea if they saw them together if they didn’t think he was her father. Especially with how he looked, long black hair, messy stubble, and bloodshot eyes gave him an off putting essence, and she didn’t look quite right next to him. “Ten minutes.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Shini we’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Yeah but I’m hungry.”

“Shini I just said ten minutes.”

“That’s too long, why can’t I eat now?”

“We’re in public, and you’re a messy eater.”

“Fine.”

It wasn’t too long, she’ll wait, but she enjoyed pestering him. While hiding a smile, she asks, “Can I have a coffee when we get there?” Hiro looks at her, knowing what she’s doing. “Of course Shini, you can have as many as you like.” She crosses her legs, itching closer to Hiro, “Hey, you see that man right there? The one with the suitcase, is he a-” Hiro glares at her, a signal for her to be quiet which confirms her thought. A Dove. The two of them are quiet for the rest of the train ride.

It isn’t long before the train comes to a stop, and Hiro ushers Shini onto the platform, and out of the train station. Before she knows it, they’re out in front of Antieku. The closed sign is up, but that’s only there so humans don’t come in. Hiro knocks on the door and seconds later Enji opens it. “Come in quickly.” He states as he steps aside, allowing room for Hiro and Shini to step through. “Good morning Enji!” Shini exclaims, holding up her right fist for a fist bump. Her knuckles are met with Enji’s, “What’s up Shini?” 

“We’re here to drop off something for Yoshimura. We took the train, saw a Dove, nothing interesting.”

“I think Yoshimura’s upstairs, he’ll be down in a minute though, do you guys want coffee?”

Shini nods, and her and Hiro head over to the counter. Before they’re seated, they take off their coats, Hiro takes both of them and hangs them on the rack. Once he sits, Hiro places the package before him as Enji prepares their coffee. Shini swings her legs back and forth, her head in her hands. This is her fifth time at Antieku and she’s grown to like going there. She has yet to go alone, she’s only been with Hiro and they come just to drop off meat. She wishes he’d take her here more often, Yoshimura enters, greeting both of them just as Enji places their coffee before them. Shini turns her head to face Hiro, but he’s already lost in conversation with the manager. The door opens again, and she looks to see who it is. It’s him. Quickly Shini turns back around, pulling her ( his ) hood up then pulling the strings so her face isn’t visible to anyone. Her space buns are pushing on the fabric and it’s hurting her head, but she doesn’t wanna see him. Enji looks confused, and while leaning a bit closer to Shini he asks, “You know him?”

“Not really, I kinda just see him around.” She answered, her voice low.

“Why are you nervous, you like him or something?”

“I, I think so? My stomach feels weird whenever he’s around… I don’t know!” 

Her sudden exclamation earns her a glare from Hiro, when he sees her, he pulls her hood off, showing her reddened cheeks. Yoshimura smiles before he returns to discussing important things with Hiro. The boy who just came in is named Renji Yomo, and the first time Shini saw him she was smitten with him. She sneaks a look at him and notices the girl he’s with, at first she thinks it’s his girlfriend but then upon closer inspection realizes they’re similar in appearance. His mom? No, she looks too young to be his mother, maybe it’s his sister. Enji looks away from Shini as he greets the two who just came in, “Good Morning Hikari, good morning Renji, how are things going?” Renji doesn’t reply, instead, he sits on a stool at the counter, exactly two seats away from Shini, and she can’t stop staring at him. “Things are fine. We tried getting Arata to come with us but he doesn’t like getting up early.” Enji listens as he pours the two a cup of coffee, “I don’t either, but a good cup of joe goes a long way.” Renji looks bored, and Shini can’t stop staring at him. Not only are Hiro and Yoshimura chatting it up, but now so are Enji and Hikari, and Shini has yet to let her eyes stray from staring at the side of Renji’s head. He can feel her eyes burning into the side of his head and whips around to face her. For a second she looks shocked, but snaps out of it, pulling the hood over her head again and yanking the strings away from her to hide her face. She turns to face Yoshimura and Hiro once more, all while Renji’s glaring at her. There’s a ball of warmth in her chest that can’t stop growing and she doesn’t know what to do. Hiro’s attention is once more on Shini, and he yanks the hood off again, only for her to put it back on, once more, Hiro pulls it off again, messing up her space buns in the process. With puppy eyes, she stares at him, it takes him a second but Hiro realizes what’s going on. He looks at Renji quickly, then looks back at Shini, his hands extend and he puts the hood back on her, even taking a second to pull the strings and tie them together. She gives him a thumbs-up as a way of thanking him for the gesture. Her mind goes back to Renji, he probably thinks she’s a weirdo now, but it could be worse, at least she’s not ugly. Enji and Hikari were watching, both letting out a small giggle. “Renji, Hikari, have you two met Shini yet? She’s been living in the fourth ward with Hiro for a couple of months now.” Shini forces a smile, and gives a small wave, goddammit Enji, why’d you have to put all the attention on her? Mentally, she’s cursing him out right now.

Renji sips his coffee and let’s out a sigh, “I’ve seen you around, you hang out with Itori, right?” Shini nods, hoping that the fact that she’s wearing the hoodie she stole from him doesn’t register in his mind. In her defense, he shouldn’t have left it lying around, it was cold out and she didn’t have a hoodie, she needed it more than him, after all, he was wearing a long sleeve shirt that night. “She’s nice, she talks a lot though.” Shini isn't lying, Itori doesn't know how to shut up, but she doesn't mind it, Shini learns a lot from Itori, and it's all useful information. "She's fun to be around, but we only hang out at Hiro's house since I don't know much about the ward yet." Shini states, Hikari looks at her brother, "Renji, why don't you show her around tonight? You can go with that Uta character too, the both of you know the ward like the back of your hand." She says with a smile. Shini's interest has been perked, Renji ponders it for a second, letting out a simple "Sure." In response. Shini taps Hiro's shoulder, when he looks at her she asks, "Can Renji and his friend show me around the ward tonight? We won't be out long."

"Renji, do you remember how to get to the apartments?" Hiro asks.

"Yeah, we were just over last week waiting on Itori."

"Then be there tonight by six, and bring Shini home by nine, no later than that."

* * *

It's only five-thirty, but Shini's mind is racing, she's been pacing around her room for what felt like an hour. She's nervous, and she doesn't know what to do. She's ready to go but she feels like something's wrong but she can exactly pinpoint what it is. Hiro knocks on the door, and Shini welcomes him in, she sits in the folding chair by the vanity as he steps in. "We can all hear you walking around, is there something wrong?" He asks. Shini's fingers curl around the hemming of her hoodie, while looking at the floor she speaks, "Do you think he's gonna want what all those guys wanted from my mom?" She asks. The question takes Hiro completely off guard, this isn't something he'd expected to come from her mouth. "Shini..." He says softly, making his way to her bed. As he sits on the edge of it, he speaks, "Listen, I don't know what he's gonna want from you, but I'd like to think that Hikari raised that boy right, back in the day I knew his father, he was a Sweeper too, did everything he could to provide for his family." Hiro's voice is calming, yet that thought still creeps in the back of her mind. Being a woman in the world, ghoul or human, was something scary, and Shini knew she was going to have to build her strength in the coming months to protect herself in the ward, she wasn't going to be safe in this house forever. "Do you want Yoshi to come too?" Hiro asks. Shini ponders it for a moment, she knows he wouldn't wanna come and that it'd be a drag for him, and he'd complain the whole time which would end with them fighting. "No, I'll be fine." Hiro checks his watch, it's five-thirty-seven. He looks back up at Shini, "Do you how to use your kagune yet?" Shini nods her head no. Hiro sighs as he gets up, "You haven't been eating much, you're going to have to eat better in order to learn how to use it." He states, "I'll bring you and Yoshi to the underground soon to train." Shini's fingers lace together and she stares at him blankly, "I'm kind of scared to use it because last time I lost control." Memories flood back into his mind, he remembers that night clearly. While he was taking care of Ikari, Shini found her way to the weakened Kumo, her teeth sinking into the flesh of her mother, it's not a sight Hiro wants to see again. He knows there's more anger hidden away in Shini, and he's not ready to see it come out again. She's been different since then, softer, slowly opening up to those around her, yet he knows she doesn't feel as if she belongs here. "You had to do it, to make peace with everything she did to you." 

The two sit there in silence for a moment, until Yoshi pokes his head in the doorway, "That kid is here, is he picking up something for Hikari?" He asks. Hiro turns to him as Shini rises from the chair, "No, he's here to take Shini out." Yoshi looks confused for a second, before his face returns back to normal, "I'm going out with Asahi and Aia, do you want us to follow them?" Hiro looks back at Shini who seems anxious, he pauses for a second, "If it makes you feel better, but I think she'll be fine." Yoshi shrugs before turning around and heading to the kitchen, Hiro and Shini follow. Sitting on the couch is not only Renji, but Itori and Uta. Uta's laid back, taking up as much space as he can. Itori's fawning over him and playing with his hair, while Renji looks as monotone as ever. The front door opens as Yoshi is putting on his coat, Asahi and Aia step in, followed by Yotte and Soji moments later. There isn't a time when people aren't visiting the apartment. Hiro had Sweeper duties with Soji and Yotte, there was most likely going to be a meeting with the rest of the members in the house after everyone else left. Yoshi's caught up in conversation with Aia and Asahi and Itori gets up from the couch heading towards Shini. An arm is wrapped around the other ghouls neck, pulling her close, "You boys ready to take Shini out on a night of fun?" Question is asked with a hum in her throat, and a smile tugs at her lips. Shini grins, waving towards the other two still on the couch. Hiro looks back at them, "I want her back at nine." He speaks sternly, Shini knows if she returns any later than that it's going to be an issue, she knows Hiro has no problem sending Yoshi out to retrieve her and he'll embarrass her in front of everyone and that's not something she wants. Hiro removes his watch and hands it to Shini. Sadly she doesn't know how to read it, but Hiro doesn't know that. She nods, and utters a thank you before Itori's dragging her out of the apartment, Renji and Uta following in pursuit.

The group walks down the hallway, ghouls popping in and out of doors here and there. Hiro ran the complex along with Soji, giving ghouls a place to stay for small prices for the month, and they helped them with getting meals and other things. It was a small community where everyone pitched in, Itori joked about it here and there calling it a 'cult', Shini would only laugh whenever she said it, she didn't know what the word meant and never bothered to ask. Itori's arm is linked with her's as they walk through the hallway of the eighth floor heading towards the staircase, the elevator didn't work and it was never going to get fixed. Renji opens the door to the staircase and Uta shoves his way through, Itori and Shini follow and Renji is the last one through the doorframe. "Shurui said he'd meet as at the crane around seven-thirty, he's bringing the blood wine he's been makin' since last year. Suki told me there's a party goin' on at eight, we're goin' to it." Itori states. "Do we have to go?" Renji asks, "I rather just show Shini around and bring her back, I don't want to deal with Hiro if we're late." 

"Shini needs to meet more people her age, I wouldn't be able to deal with being locked up in that apartment without anyone to talk to, would you like that shit Ren?" Uta snorts, "It's kinda sad, don't you think? Imagine having to watch the world go on from a window." Shini remains silent, the conversation they're having makes her feel a bit off, it's almost like they're making fun of her. Hiro kept her in the apartment to keep her safe, and he was doing all he could for her. Back in Kyoto, her mother locked her away in the attic for hours on end, and she never left the house. Hiro gave her everything she needed and brought her out with him so she could see the world, he wanted her by his side during all of this so she could be protected. Unlike her peers, she didn't know how to fend for herself or even use her kagune, hell she didn't even know what type she had. She wants to say something about it, but she doesn't quite know what to say. "It's not that bad..." She states, "He takes care of me, it's more than my mother did." It doesn't feel right calling Kumo her mother, that woman was a monster, and because of what Shini did to her, she felt like one too. But that's not something she wanted to talk about. "It could be worse you know, he could've not let me out at all tonight." Words are spoken with a forced laugh. 

Before she knows it, the four of them are exiting the staircase and making their way towards the door. On the left of the door there's a desk, ghouls rotate shifts for the hour, acting as security. She doesn't know the name of the current ghoul there, but Shini doesn't care. Itori guides her out, while it was only seven it was already dark out, the mounds of snow still seeming bright. It's chilly out, Shini pulls her coat around her but it isn't going to do much, it's a spring jacket, and there are holes in it. She might have to steal another one during the night. As they walk through the streets you can hear the snow crunching under their feet. Shini doesn't speak much, but Itori has let go of her and is now hanging onto Uta's arm joking with him about other ghouls in the ward. Renji's silent, seeming bored with the conversation but listening to every word Itori says. She's talking about Suki and Reo, discussing things she's caught them doing behind dumpsters, making comments on the other girl's body, something common for Itori to do. The amount of shit she talked was something Shini found amusing, Itori made it clear she didn't like Suki, but was still dragging the rest of them to her party. Itori and Uta were a bit ahead of her and Renji. Shini's not watching where she's walking, with the concrete being covered in snow she doesn't notice the patch of ice she steps on, doesn't help that her shoe was untied. She slips, falling into Renji's back and then onto her butt, he stops and turns to face her, annoyance dotting his features. " _I-I-I'm sorry._..!" She squeaks, her heart racing in her chest. In a hurry, she struggles to tie her shoe, messing up twice in the process. She notices that Itori and Uta haven't stopped walking and are further than before, yet Renji had made the choice to stay with her. Was it because he cared, or would he feel bad if she were to be left behind? Or was he just scared of Hiro? She doesn't know, and she's not sure if she wants to. She's growing to be irritated as she struggles with tying her shoe, her hands are moved, and she looks up to see Renji kneeling before her and assisting her with the laces. She's blushing and she can't stop, it's a small gesture but she finds it sweet. Once he's done, he rises and extends his hand to help her up. "Thank you." Words are spoken softly, and they continue to walk together to catch up to the others.

"Where are you from?" His words catch her by surprise, but she assumes he's trying to have some small talk, maybe in an attempt to get to know her. "Kyoto, what about you?"

"Tokyo, did you like Kyoto?"

"I never got to see it really, my mom didn't let me leave the house." She hopes he doesn't ask about her mother, it's not something she enjoys talking about. Yet at some point, she knows she's going to have to open up about it, after all, everything that happened in that house was still bothering her. "Why's that?" And he asks the question she doesn't want to answer. Her mind races with various answers, but she decides on being honest about how she feels towards the situation. "Um, it's not something I like talking about... yeah, I just don't want to think about it." He's confused for a moment but decides not to dig deeper into it. They've caught up to Itori and Uta, who are discussing other things about the ward. "It's about time to go see Shurui." Uta says. Itori's hands slam together, a grin dancing across her features, "Right! He has a couple of bottles of blood wine too! The crane isn't far from here!" Uta nods while eyeing a fire escape, he dashes over to it, before Shini realized what was going on he had climbed it, Itori following in pursuit. The rails were icy, and Shini thought the two were gonna fall in attempts to climb it. Renji looks at her and goes, "Are you gonna follow?" Shini nods, trying her best to follow them without falling, Renji waits until she's about five feet up before he starts following them. She climbs the fire escape slowly, she doesn't want to fall and hurt herself, she wasn't used to doing stuff like this. When she gets to the top of the building, she sees that Uta and Itori had already gotten to the roof of another. She walks to the edge, once she realizes how far up they are and how far across she is from the next building, she panics. "I'm-I'm-I'm supposed to jum-jump across that?" She says while pointing at it while frantically looking back at Renji then the gap. His hands are in his pockets as he approaches, "It's not bad, you've never done something like this before?"

"N-No, I don't wanna get hurt!" Her hands have been brought up to her face, her eyes are covered, but she separates her index and middle finger so she can see with her right eye. There's no doubt she's scared to do it, once more her mind's racing, various thoughts plaguing her mentality. Is he gonna think she's to much of a pussy to hang out with? Is he not gonna hang out with her again if she doesn't make the jump? What if she falls and gets hurt and then he can't go to the party? She's still staring at the gap, but Renji's looking around for something to help her. Then he sees it, a thick wooden plank, it's width big enough to support the both of them. While she's over there having a panic attack, Renji drags the plank over to the edge, lifts it up, and lets it drop, the end of the plank landing on the other building. The bang it creates snaps Shini out of it, she looks at the plank, then Renji who's beckoning her over, his hand extended. "Come here, I think this is gonna help." Shini walks towards him, her hand meeting his, and he guides her across the plank. Her grip on his is tight, so tight that her fingertips became white from the pressure. His grip starts up loose, then gradually became stronger. When they reach the end, she almost slips, but he yanks her onto the rooftop. Renji doesn't look at her while her face is buried in his chest, her breath is heavy. His body is warm, and they just stand there for a moment, but it feels like forever. Neither of them speak. Slowly, Shini raises her head, her chin resting on his chest. Renji looks down at her before gently pushing her away from him, "We should catch up with Itori and Uta." 

"Yeah, yeah we should." 

They're completely silent for the rest of the trip to the crane. It feels awkward for Shini, and even weirder for Renji. While tonight is the first time they've been properly introduced, Shini knows deep down that this is a night they're both going to remember forever and that it's something they're going to one day look back at together. 

* * *

"Itoriiiiiiiiiii!" A voice cries out, a figure in the distance is waving its arms to get their attention. Itori's focus is shifted from Uta and onto the figure. Once more a smile is beaming on her face as she dashes over to whoever it is, "Shuruiiiiiiiii!" The figure is now running in there direction, as it comes closer you can hear bottles clinking together muffled by fabric. When the figure is close enough to come into focus, Shini sees vibrant red hair, similar in color to Itori's. He's taller than the other girl, and once they're close enough to each other he pulls Itori into an embrace. While he's holding her, Itori turns to Shini, "This is Shurui, my brother." He waves at her with a smile, he looks similar to Itori, yet his face is smoother, not as round as Itori's, and his jaw seems stronger. "I brought the blood wine you asked for, this time I followed the recipe dad left behind more closely, I haven't tried it yet though." He states as he kneels, removing a book bag from his back, he unzips it and removes a large glass jar from it that's filled with blood in it. "This one has the pancreas of a diabetic in it, I thought it'd make the wine sweeter." Itori takes the jar from him, removing the top from it, she brings the jar up to her nose and sniffs it, an expression Shini has never seen before forms on Itori's face, then she takes a sip. "Ooooooohhhh~" She purrs, "It's soooo gooood, _Utaaaa why don't you try some?_ " She says, handing the jar to him. He takes it and sips it, lips curl into a sick smile. "It's made well Shurui, do you have any more made like this?" Uta asks. "I only have that jar, but I tried some other stuff out while making the other three jars I have, but I can make another jar like that one if you'd like, I just gotta let it ferment for a couple of months."

Uta nods as he puts the lid back on the jar and hands it to Shurui, "It's almost eight-thirty, should we start heading to Suki's?" He asks. Itori looks back at him, checking her watch, "Yeah we should start heading there, I don't like arriving when it's crazy packed." Shini had forgotten all about the party, but it was getting close for her to go back home. No, she was going to stay out, it's something she needed. What Itori and Uta had said before back at the apartment. She'll be back, but she wanted to live a little. "Where's the party exactly?" Shini asks, Uta's attention is pulled towards her, "Suki lives in Piss Alley." Piss Alley? With a name like that Shini could only picture people popping squats right in the street there, gross. "Who else is going?" Uta replies with, "Almost every one our age in the ward, and maybe some ghouls from other wards, it varies per party." Shini thinks about it for a moment, attending the party would probably be the best way for her to meet people, right? Fuck it, she'll deal with Hiro's rant later, and by the sound of it Yoshi would be there with his friends too, she'll just go home with him. "Sooooo are we heading there now?" Itori adds. Shurui has finished putting the jar back in his bag, he closes it, throws it over his shoulder, and stands up. "I know a way to get there faster." He says, "Just follow me." He starts to walk towards the street and exits the alleyway they had met up with him, Itori catches up with him and starts talking to him about god knows what, the two of them laughing about something she had said.

"So Shini, is this your first party?" Uta asks, he's walking with his arms up, hands behind his head, eyes staring at what's in front of him. Shini notices his piercings and wonders why he got them and where. As usual, Renji's silent. "Yeah. I've never been to one before, but there's always a first time for something!" She says excitedly. She can't hide the fact that she's attracted to the idea of going, but she doesn't know what to expect. "Uta, what are they like?"

"Loud music, most people are dancing or hanging around, drinking here and there, there's always a couple that locks themselves in Suki's room or the bathroom, and there's almost always a fight." A fight? Hopefully nothing too bad, right? She doesn't want to get caught up in something that'll get her hurt. She doesn't think Hiro would let her go out again if she returned bloody. She looks on ahead and see's an apartment complex, a couple of the windows on the top floor were illuminated, colors changing from white to red to purple to pink, and music was being played loudly. She points to the complex, "Is that Suki's place?" Shini asks, looking at Uta. "Yeah, seems like Itori and Shurui are already in." The three of them walk up to the door, Uta opens it and waits for them to step in before following. Together the three of them head to the third floor. The door to the apartment was already opened and someone stumbled out heading towards the wall across from him. His hand rests on the peeling paint, and he hurls. It stinks of flesh and blood. "Does that always happen?" Asks Shini, Uta nods, "Some people just can't handle their wine." The guy throwing up grossed her out, but at least it's not her. They head into the apartment, dodging random ghouls who were dancing, throwing themselves onto each other, or quite literally eating each other's faces off. Itori's in the corner of the room with Shurui, the two of them sipping out of the mason jar from earlier. "Shini! Try this!" Itori exclaims, putting the jar to the ghoul's lips, she takes a small sip, and when she goes to hand it back to Itori the redhead looks unsatisfied, so Shini drinks more if it. Itori takes the jar from Shini and hands it to Renji, who takes a sip equal in size to Shini's second. A ghoul with long blonde hair comes over to them, eyeing Shini up and down in the process, "Sooooo this is the new girl in the ward you were talking about Itori?" She asks. "Yeah! Suki, this is Shini, Shini this is Suki!" 

Shini soaks in Suki's appearance. Her chest is quite large, larger than Shini's. Her long hair is curly, but choppy, as if she cut hit herself without a mirror and just so happened to be blindfolded. Her eyes were small, the color being a murky blue, similar to muddy waters. Her lips small, thin, and chapped. Her face was like looking at a mosaic on LSD, it looked okay from a distance especially with the lighting in the room, but when you got close it was just an absolute mess. Yoshi would call her butter face, everything's good, but her face. With a closer look, Shini realizes Suki's built like an inverted triangle, she wonders how the lower half of her body supports the top. Her balance must be horrible when she's drunk. The girl has a mean mug, with one look you could tell Suki's a downright bitch. Shini extends her hand to shake it, but Suki ignores it. "Keep an eye on her, I don't wanna deal with her getting fucked up, _or worse_." Or worse? What could that mean? Shini's brows furrow ever so slightly, but her expression quickly turns back to normal. She faces Itori, "Can I have another sip of that?" She asks, Itori hands her the mason jar, and Shini takes a rather large chug which shocks Itori. "Plan on getting wild or something tonight, Shini?" Uta asks with a laugh. Shini smiles at him, "Just trying to loosen up." She states. The music has gotten louder and more ghouls were in the middle of the room showing off their moves. Shini notices Suki dancing with some guy. He too was built weird. His hair was also choppy, dyed with cheap dollar store colors. Neon green and dark purple. It was a horrible combination and clearly not Yoko's work. "Who's that with Suki?" Shini asks Uta. "That's Reo, he's kind of her boyfriend but not at the same time." He states, "They fuck, fight, then fuck again." She's taken aback by the statement and Itori laughs, "That happens a lot with relationships, get used to it Shini." She states.

Itori drags Uta to the middle of the room to dance with him, leaving Shurui, Shini, and Renji by the wall. Shurui's talking to a girl, she's pretty, but there's something dark to her but Shini can't tell what it is. She has an hourglass figure and is pressing her chest against Shurui, giving clear signs that she's into him. Her hair is short, ending right at her jaw and has straight cut bangs that reach down a bit past her eyebrows, it's color almost as dark as the night sky. Her eyes are brown but they have a dead glaze over them, she seems like she's been through something that hangs over her like a storm cloud that refuses to go away. Shurui's arm snakes around her waist and they're both grinning at each other the way the men who'd visit her mother would grin. Shini knows where this is going before the girl pulls Shurui into another room. "Is that his girlfriend?" Shini asks Yomo, her voice full of curiosity. "Yeah, her name is Ginji, she's kind of a bitch." He responds. Shini lets out a simple "Oh." Before returning to being silent. They continue to sip off the mason jar Shurui left behind for them. After awhile Shini gathers up the courage and turns to Renji once more, "Would you like to dance?"

"Dancing isn't my thing."

"Oh..."

In this moment Shini wishes she had the balls Itori did. She wishes she could just pull him off the wall and into the middle of the crowd for everyone to see. Deep down, she wants the attention and the eyes to be on her, and she wants to move her body with him the way Itori was with Uta. But she doesn't have the drive to do it, not yet anyway. She continues to drink, making her way to the middle of the jar before Renji snatches it from her with an irritated look on his face. "You need to slow down or you're gonna end up like the guy you saw on the way in here." She thinks back to what she saw, but would she really be mad if her night ended like that as long as she had a good time? No. So she takes the jar back from him, taking another swig from it before pushing it against his chest. "Live a little." She states before she takes her coat off, throwing it onto the couch. She wasn't wearing the right clothes for a party, but she'd make it work. She was wearing a pair of beat-up converse Hiro had found at a second-hand thrift shop, a pair of loose jeans that were dotted with rips but loose enough to move without restriction, and a baggy Boøwy band t-shirt that was faded. She takes out her space buns, putting three out of four of the hair ties she used into her pants pocket, then she ties up the t-shirt with the last hair tie in the back, tucking the excess shirt up into it. "I'm going to dance." She states, before pushing her way through the crowd making her way to the middle. She's been watching them long enough to figure out what to do. She lets the beat control her body, her movements fluid and seamless. Practicing in the mirror with Itori paid off. Before she knows it, she's being watched, but she keeps dancing, feeling the motion. Itori notices Shini's sudden burst of confidence and is smiling as a way to cheer her on. She keeps moving to the beat, and that's when she feels it, a hand on both sides of her waist, snaking their way up and pulling her in closer from behind. But Shini keeps dancing. She turns her head to the side to see if it's Renji, but he's still at the wall, staring her down and sipping out of the mason jar. She continues to turn her head to see who it is, and it's Reo. 

She wonders where Suki went, but thinks back to what Uta said earlier, they fuck, fight, then fuck again. Was this going to cause problems for her later? She didn't know, nor did she care, she just kept dancing under the flashing lights. She was here for a good time, not a long time. They're synced up, each move she made compliments him. Then it happened, she hears Suki scream, "REO!" And he stops what he's doing, looking for the dirty blonde. She's shoving past people, knocking them to the ground, and then she's standing before Shini, towering over her. Kakugan is flashed in an instant, and she's holding onto Shini by her shirt. " _You little bitch_." Suki grunts. 'Oooos' and 'aahhs' emit from the mouths of several of the party-goers, and Shini can hear Itori say "This is going to be interesting." to Uta, he laughs in response. "That's my fucking boyfriend, he's MY man, why the fuck were you all over him? I leave to use the fucking bathroom and you think it's okay to be all up on him?" 

Shini ponders her response for a moment. "Correction, _Suki_ ," She spits, "He was all over me, _if you can't control him, then he isn't your's_." Her words are spoken with vile intent, she wants to get under the other's skin. Then it happens, Suki shoves Shini to the ground. She turns to Itori, "Get this bitch out of my fuckin-" She's caught off guard when Shini kicks her knees in, causing Suki to topple over backward. The fact that she's top-heavy made it easier. In swift movement, Shini crawls on top of Suki, pinning her down by her arms. Shini may be small, but she's calculating each move carefully. "GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME SMALL FRY!" Suki hollers. She brings her knee up into Shini's stomach, the ghoul coughs and falls onto the other, her kakugan being released. Shit, what now? Fuck it, she has to display dominance somehow, she has to show them that they can't push her around, she doesn't want them to find her as an easy target. Teeth sink into Suki's shoulder, and she screams as Shini's bites down harder. "OH SHIT! THAT BITCH IS CRAZY!" Shouts someone. Shini yanks her head back, blood splattering everywhere. She chews on the flesh for a second, before spitting it out on Suki's face, "You taste like shit, no wonder Reo doesn't want you." Small tears roll down the Suki's cheeks as Shini rises up off of her. Suki knows from now on, she's gonna be a joke to everyone who witnessed this and to everyone who hears about it. "Everyone out! I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!" She yells. Groans come from the crowd as people as they start to leave. Itori finds her way to Shini and laces her arm through her's. "Mhmmm seems like you're not what we expected Shiniiiii~" Itori hums. 

Shurui has reappeared, the girl he was with, Ginji is nowhere to be seen. Renji's still quiet as he heads towards the lot of them, but his expression has changed. He looks a bit surprised but shocked. No one expected Shini to pull a move like that, not in a million years. "So how does it feel? Winning your first fight?" Uta asks. Shini stands there, wiping away Suki's blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. "I feel like everyone knows not to pick on me now."

* * *

When they get back to the apartment, it's nearly two in the morning. Yoshi's just returning too. He notices the blood left on Shini's face, "You get beat up or something?" He asks. Itori giggles, "No, far from it, she showed Suki's who's boss." The statement takes Yoshi by surprise, but he doesn't say anything besides, "Hiro's gonna be pissed that you're late." Shini smiles, "It could be worse, they could've brought me back in pieces." Yoshi doesn't find that funny, nor does Renji. "Let's just go inside before Hiro starts a search party." 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my fic! This is my first story I'm uploading here and I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll be posting more of this story in the future. I'm not gonna lie I'm not the best at writing dialogue so I hope it doesn't seem forced. Ahhhhh I don't know what else to say but thank you again for reading!


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